[CornFed]

I saw a young man speak who, in a blackout, had run head-on into an oncoming car on the Richmond Bridge.  He killed a father and three fairly young children.  The mother survived, as did the speaker.  He was convicted of felony manslaughter and was spared from receiving the harshest sentence due to the intervention of the mother.  She asked that he be given the opportunity to seek repentance and to atone for his transgression by speaking to student groups, Elks Clubs, AA/NA meetings.  I believe he is still making a national circuit many years later, occasionally appearing together with the mother.  It is a powerful presentation and I have no doubt has had at least some impact in reducing the number of incidents of reckless, mindless behavior.

Obviously, something like this is very rare and required two fairly remarkable people who handle this outcome very well.  But I think, as others have stated, there is absolutely no way in which it will work unless the perpetrator has actually accepted the horror of their act and repented in some manner.

[CornFed]

I saw a young man speak who, in a blackout, had run head-on into an oncoming car on the Richmond Bridge.  He killed a father and three fairly young children.  The mother survived, as did the speaker.  He was convicted of felony manslaughter and was spared from receiving the harshest sentence due to the intervention of the mother.  She asked that he be given the opportunity to seek repentance and to atone for his transgression by speaking to student groups, Elks Clubs, AA/NA meetings.  I believe he is still making a national circuit many years later, occasionally appearing together with the mother.  It is a powerful presentation and I have no doubt has had at least some impact in reducing the number of incidents of reckless, mindless behavior.

Obviously, something like this is very rare and required two fairly remarkable people who handle this outcome very well.  But I think, as others have stated, there is absolutely no way in which it will work unless the perpetrator has actually accepted the horror of their act and repented in some manner.